New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-09-22
ZIG SHIPS IND HIGH Explosives

In the record of naval progress this week
extremes have met. In England the Trafalgar.
the largest and strongest of ironclads in the
Ro,a] Navy, has been launched; and in New
York Harbor one OF the most formidable
weapons recently invented for coast defence
was successfully tested. The Trafalgar, with
armor from fourteen to twenty inches in
thickness, with displacement OF nearly,
$4,000 tons and engines of 12,OOO-horsc
power, and with a battery Of 67-ton brcech-
leaders and guns that viii carry shot ex-
cceding half ton in weight, is more power
ful ship than either of the twin monsters,
the Sans Pareil and the Victoria. With the
exception of the Nile, which has not yet been
launched, this is the most powerful OF the
turret and barbctte ships projected by the
Admiralty in 1885. There are now eight OF
these leviathans with tonnage exceeding
10000 and the Nile, if il be built next year,
will be the last Of the series. In weight OF
armor and Of armament these vessels mark
the maximum of defensive and offensive power
vet reached On the sea and from present in
dications they will be- the last of their class.
The pneumatic dynamite gun test was sue
cessful experiment with high explosives. The
shells fired with terrific effect into the con-
demncd schooner at a distance OF mile and
Il half indicate the destructiveness OF these
new weapons of war. The gun used by
Lieutenant Zalinski was comparatively small
one, and yet two shells at long range were
sufficient to knock the vessel to pieces. A
more powerful gun with dynamite shells con-
tanning 600 instead OF 100 pounds of explosive
compound would have imperilled the mighticst
of the turet-ships of the English Navy; and
no engineer can yet conjecture the limis
which is to be set to the size and destructive
ness Of projectles of this class.
The successful target practice of the ZaliDski
gun proves that most powerful engine Of
coast defence has been devised. The gun and
the shells can be easily and quickly manu-
featured, so that in an emergency New-York
harbor may be defended within short
period by hundred of these dynamite engines
every one of which can be depended upon TO
shell feet of ironclads at a distance Of two
miles. Subsequent tests with larger gun
may increase the distance and extend the
lines of practicable coast defence. Whether
the dynamite gun can be effectively fired
from the deck of a ship remains to be proved
The practice in the harbor was from station
airy platform on land with the range of tho
gun carefully computed in advance. Whether
the shells will prove equally effective when
the gun is mounted on floating carriage and
aimed at vessel in motion, is still to be dem
onstrated Enough is known, however, to
justify the action of the Navy Department
in building dynamite cruiser. The COM
plete success OF that cruiser will be an event
in the history of naval architecture. Mean
while, the costly rivalry In armorcd ships will
soon be suspended abroad. Italy has four
vessels of IL 900 tons now under construction !;
and England has the Nile under contract /;
but French and German engineers are not